Abbey Lincoln - The World Is Falling Down

Magnificent and subtle singing

Imaginative and highly suggestive, Lincoln's singing on this 1990 album may remind you of Billie Holiday, at times even of Nina Simone (although Nina was usually not so strictly jazz singer as Abbey). But, make no mistake, inspite of her tributes to Billlie (I must get me those CD's) she had a distinctive style; at times old-fashioned-jazz-mama-style rough, at times quite modern and cynical, but usually very emotional ...

There are some quite interesting lyrics here (many written by Abbey; she also wrote two of the tunes), her music is not only romantic but also at times political, but it is the beautiful phrasing that I admire and in this album social comentary is only in several allusions. As opposed to the liner notes author (who apparently believes that "Strange Fruit" is some sort of peak of Billie Holiday's career), I like my personal politics separate from my equally personal pleasure in art (although I enjoy political art as well); it is the form that enchants me, thrills me and delights me.

This is a great jazz album, with magnificent players (who get plenty of solo and ensemble space), with Clark Terry as my favorite contributor, some really cookin' boppish alto by Jackie McLean, gentle piano by Alain Jean-Marie, suggestive bass by Charlie Haden and somewhat restrained but highly functional drumming of Billy Higgins (Abbey had previously recorded with many other great instrumentalists, including Sonny Rollins, Max Roach and Coleman Hawkins).

Although Abbey's title song on this treasure of a CD is also great, my favorite song is still the magnificent version of "How High the Moon"; in order not to get corny with this enchanting old ditty, Lincoln even uses French lyrics for a major part of her subtle performance.
Then again, this is a French produced CD (albeit for Verve). I actually bought 2007 "Universal France" reissue of this great CD, I guess intended mostly for European market so, all in all, Abbey seems to have shared the fate of many a great American jazz artist (such as Sidney Bechet, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Roy Eldridge or, more recently, Dee Dee Bridgewater) and audiences outside the US still keep her very much American art very much alive...

This phenomenon is actually quite strange when one remembers how many foreign artists found refuge from persecution in the U.S. during the 20th century... May 26, 2007

Try it!

I'd never heard of this lady before a TV programme about her but this was my loss. We have here not just a solid person who sticks to her views forever at immense personal cost but also a great artist. Her songs stick in my mind as I write this. If you like Gladys, Sade and Dinah then you'll love this record. Buy it because she deserves fame and recognition in her own country and not just in Europe. December 27, 2000

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